Budding Blossoms
by WinterzDream
Summary: Sakura never thought she would love again, and Kiba had given up long ago on finding a mate for himself. Resigned the two devote their life to the Shinobi way. Now as their lives collide together and their friendship is redefined what may come of it all? (IN PROCESS OF REWRITING)
1. Heart Ache

Welcome to my first Naruto Fic! I've spent countless times on here looking for great Kiba/Sakura pairings since the two are undoubtedly my two favorite characters from Naruto so if they could be together it would be awesome. After spending way too much time searching for what I wanted I finally realized I needed to just write my own story if I ever wanted to be satisfied! And so I bring to you the rewriting of "Budding Blossoms".

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><p><strong>Heart Ache<strong>

_The wind blew across Konoha and through its very own top medical Nin's bright pink hair. Her scent so strongly reminiscent to her name and appearance filled his nostrils as he rode on the massive white dogs back calling out her name. The pair jumped over the burning buildings and towards the Hokage's tower where the main battle was occurring._

_A growl left the man's lips as her scent took on a bitter taste in his mouth. Up ahead he could see her, fighting over the now fallen body of her mentor and none other than the Fifth Hokage herself. The ground swelled and ruptured with the force of her attacks and all the while the strong metallic scent of her blood grew stronger._

_"NO! SAKURA BEHIND YOU!" He screamed out too late as a chakra encased fist punched straight through her chest and ripped her pounding heart straight from her chest._

_In utter horror and absolute shock the man and his canine companion howled out in agony as the woman they cared so much for, no the woman he loved, fell to her knees just out of reach._

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><p>"Gyyaaahhhh!" Kiba Inuzaka cried out as he woke from the most recent of a long stream of nightmares that had plagued him as of late. His right hand clutched at his chest just above his heart as his shaking body came to its senses. The other rested on his forehead where his fingers dug into his hair and his forehead pressed down against his palm.<p>

It felt as though someone had ripped out his very heart and still kicked him around for good measure afterwards. Yet he knew it was the effects from his new found sleep deprivation. If it kept up for much longer he knew he would have no choice but to seek medical help. Besides he had another to worry about, Akamaru too was suffering and if Kiba himself evaded sleep then so would his partner.

The said dog Nin whined from his place on the floor beside his master's bed and Kiba could only smile weakly in an attempt to assure the dog. Akamaru knew though and was sure to voice his opinion on the matter.

"Okay boy, I promise that if I can't sleep through the rest of this night then first thing in the morning we'll seek out their help." Kiba stated and stretching his sore shoulders forced himself to lay back and not fight off the sleep he so desperately needed.

He did this for Akamaru and thinking only of the wellbeing of his closest companion was he able to allow himself to fall back into his troubled dreams.


	2. Boredom

**Boredom**

Sakura Haruno sighed heavily as she shuffled through the latest batch of paperwork sent to her office. Years of her training as a medical Ninja still had not fully prepared her for this. _No wonder why Shishou drinks all the damn time! _Her thoughts drifted as she pinched the bridge of her nose trying to stem the ever-present headache waiting to descend upon her.

"Miss Haruno? Uh Sakura-"

Startled she looked up to find one of her newest members peeping around the door timidly. Concern etched on the young nurse's face as she tried to gain her attention. It seemed she had tried in vain for some time.

"Oh, what is it Kimi-san?" Sakura asked focusing her eyes upon the young woman before her. All the while her inner thoughts fighting to take over and speak its mind. _Gods I bet there is another emergency, she needs to spit it out before I grow impatient here….I can't save the person if I have no details!_

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to disrupt you, but…but I can't handle my patient and…." The girl's voice rambled on as she pulled on the hem of her Nurses outfit and crossed her arms awkwardly over her ample chest.

Sakura's sharp eyes missed nothing. The woman was blushing deeply as she recounted what had occurred. Her large doe like eyes batting as she pleaded for her Senpai to handle the trouble maker. The word Shinobi and Animal were all she needed to hear before she slammed the files in her hand upon the desk and stormed off down the hall.

_Meanwhile…._

Kiba lounged on the hospital bed that had lost its appeal after the first two hours of his arrival. There was an unusually long wait that day and out of boredom he had taken to harassing the poor girl who kept coming in to apologize for keeping him.

_"You shouldn't have teased that poor girl…" _Akamaru rumbled from the far wall where he lay embarrassed by his master's actions.

A heavy paw was across his eyes and all the while he slowly slipped in and out of slumber. Just knowing his partner was here to see if he could get some sleep aid eased his worry and thoughts of sleep for him were closer than before. Though, Kiba's treatment of that poor girl was not amusing to the dog at all.

"Awww come on Akamaru! I didn't mean it and she was just so sweet and innocent looking... I mean I just had to." Kiba laughed and shook his head sighing.

Akamaru sat up and looked around, his ears perking up to the sound of sharp heels seeming to pound into the floors and growing closer. As the said person got nearer he could sense the anger and frustration rolling off of them. A low whine left him and knowing that Kiba sort of deserved this he just ducked his head back under his paw.

"What is it boy!" Kiba asked sitting up and letting his own hearing spread out. "Oh…haha nice so I get a personal examination by the Hokage herself. Damn I should play around with the cute little nurses more often!"


	3. Act I

**Act I**

Sakura's heels clicked loudly as she made her way down the long halls of the hospital. She had taken a liking to them from her mentor and found they were a nice change from her ninja wear at times. Lately she had been on less missions and spending all her time running this place. Not that she mind too much but whenever one of her fellow shinobi came in with injuries or died in the field she couldn't shake the thought that it would have been different had she been there. And then of course, where times like these were one of those bakas decided to toy around with one of her girls.

_I swear! I'm going to bash in every one of their heads! _Sakura fumed internally as she went through the possibilities in her head. Naruto, Kakashi, and especially Jaraiya topped the list since she knew full and well how perverted they were. Sai she could forgive since he had too much influence from them and was still learning. The others she couldn't imagine stooping to such a low-level but then again men were such idiots it was entirely possible.

When she reached the door she paused for a brief second and grabbed up the chart before storming inside. Her eyes were just beginning their fall to the page, to skim over it, when the man lying in the bed caught her eyes. A look of surprise crossing his features as he recognized her while off in the corner the sound of a whine reached her ears.

"Well damn, Miss Haruno I wasn't expecting the honor of your presence." He drawled out with a canine filled smirk sent her way.

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><p>The last thing Kiba had expected was for the Pink haired Kounichi to come storming into his room. The strong scent of blossoms and a multitude of other scents he couldn't identify filling the room as her hard emerald eyes studied him. He just lay there relaxed and not at all worried about her loosing her cool. Oh he remembered how fired up this woman could become and even witnessed the power she possessed first hand but at the moment he just awaited a response.<p>

Her eyes lingered on him as she noted the way he laid there. Strong hands linked behind his head and effectively showing off his bare arms, his shirt laying discarded by the bedside and she raised a brow at this. The light sheet pooled around his waist and left his chest and abs free for viewing. She made no comment and turned her gaze back to the file in her hands. Seeing half-naked, well sculpted men who knew it and were cocky had no effect upon her anymore. It came with being a Kounichi.

"Kiba Inuzaka, heh and here I thought I was coming to bash in Naruto's head. I don't want to even know what came over you and why you decided to toy with her but please for your own sake do not tempt me. I don't hold back when it comes to fellow shinobi." Sakura growled out as she made her way over to his bedside.


	4. Unusual Behavior

**Unusual Behavior**

Kiba smirked pleased to hear she still thought of herself as a Shinobi. The past year she had rarely been out in the field and spent all her time with civies these days. It seemed that Sakura herself had begun to consider herself too good to be seen with the likes of him or any of the other Konoha eleven.

"I'm surprised you actually came to treat me yourself. I am _just _a lowly ninja after all. Hell I know that you of all people are aware that I am not even considered the heir of my clan anymore. So does playing with your nurses really warrant our villages Chief Medical Officer's presence?"

Kiba's words seemed to affect her deeply because her steps faltered slightly and his sensitive ears could pick up the barely audible halt of her once steady breath. He had struck a sensitive spot and braced for her response or more likely his death-blow. She was not one known for her restraint, in fact rumor was she had begun to surpass even the Hokage in her use of chakra.

He himself wasn't even sure where those words had come from. There was just an unexplainable anger bubbling inside him. It had been so long since he had last seen or even been so near to her. This just seemed to irritate him beyond reason. One of his sharp canine teeth dug into his lip as he fought the urge to command her to answer him. As unwell as he felt, Kiba still had enough rational thought to understand that any attempts at ordering this woman about would end only in his early departure from the world.

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><p>Sakura took a deep steadying breath and let her hard emerald eyes lock upon his dark and animalistic eyes. There was a fervor in them she had never seen before. She didn't miss how he seemed to struggle with himself either. The anger in her own eyes replaced with determination to discover what was happening before her very eyes.<p>

"Why are you here?" She asked aloud but mostly to herself as she browsed his file.

Her feet carried her to the unused machines by the bed and without a word she took up one of his hands into her own. He quickly pulled it back and gazed upon her with a dark look through hooded eyes.

"Kiba!" She growled out and forcefully grasped his arm in her hand.

In the other she held a monitoring device and before she could clasp it about one of his fingers he had broken free again. His whole body shook with effort and perspiration dotted his forehead. Off in the corner Akamaru awoke suddenly and began to whine in confusion.

And then before she could even begin to understand what was occurring Kiba had slung her across the room and Sakura's back slammed up against the adjacent wall. Moving with animal quickness, Kiba leaped down before her and successfully pinned her to that spot.

A deep growl reverberated through him and he snarled in her face. "Don't ever growl at me, Bitch. Now answer me! _I _asked you a question…."


	5. An Itch You Just Can't Scratch

**An Itch You Just Can't Scratch**

Sakura's initial expression was one of fear and panic as her head swam from its collision against the hard wall. As she regained her senses and was able to assess the situation, a cold hard wall snapped down on her feelings. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been to allow someone to take her by such surprise. By now she thought that never letting her guard down would be second nature.

His snarled words echoed in her head and instead of answering she just continued to stare defiantly into his narrowed eyes. All the while in her mind she raced to uncover some explanation for such behavior based on what little she had gleamed from his file. _The lack of sleep, this agitated and more almost feral aspect of his normal animalistic characteristics, his actions to Kimi earlier, and…his need to be dominate…my god and his words…._

Sakura averted her eyes and tried to ease her own internal anger. She did not take kindly to what he had called her, but now wasn't the time to antagonize the man. It seemed Kiba's lack of sleep had triggered his more dormant animalistic side to take over. She had known him for years and never seen him loose his control to this extent.

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><p>Kiba shook all over as he struggled to stay conscious. It was like he was standing on the verge of falling into a deep slumber and yet strong emotions rumbled throughout his body. At the foremost was a sickening possessiveness that refused to back down. The very thought that she would dare defy him, to look upon him with those hard eyes kept his snarling resonating on inside him.<p>

That was not all that was bothering him. Like an itch he couldn't scratch something haunted the back of his mind. It was something triggered by the sight of those large emerald orbs, or was it her soft feathery pink hair that caused it. No, it was that underlying scent of hers. Not quite the cherry blossoms but the semi-sweet and yet spicy tasting scent she carried about her.

As her eyes shifted away an image flashed quickly before his eyes before fading away. It was her, falling upon her knees before him, blood trickling from her mouth and darker splashes of older blood splattered all over her pale face. Those bright emerald eyes were cold and the light all but gone from them. Marks marred her soft flesh, the very smooth skin his hands now grasped tightly as he shook in utter horror.

"Sakura…." He choked out as he swayed and stumbled back. "No…no…" he cried out as he shook his head as though to clear something from his mind.

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><p>As angry as she should have been the kounichi could not stop herself from rushing to support the confused man back to the bed. There was no doubt that he was slipping in and out of consciousness. Ninja or not, too long without proper rest and any of them would be in a similar state. Kiba was an Inuzaka and that alone was enough to make things slightly more dangerous to handle.<p>

Sakura had an uneasy feeling that had risen up from her stomach and stuck in her throat. She had no words to say to the obviously troubled man. In fact all she could think was how she wished now that Tsunade had allowed her more access to the Clans' Medical Files and Histories during her training. Sure she knew all the basic ins and outs of the various clans and could maneuver careful during treatment to not cause any unrest among the elders but this was something she had not prepared for.

For her to jump to conclusions, to simply assume things would only hinder his recovery as well. If there was one thing Sakura had learned in all her years now as a medical ninja, it was that you had to make concessions at times and seek the help or guidance from those with firsthand knowledge. It wasn't exactly something she did easily of course, but in the end she understood the need.

So once she got Kiba back into his bed and made the proper arrangements for his care in her absence, Sakura headed out to get the information she needed. And by god if she had to demand them she would. Having seen Kiba, so unlike himself and that frightened look in his eyes before he blacked out, stroke a chord within her. No, she would force the answers out no matter what. That at least she was absolutely certain of then.


	6. Into the Den

So as those who have read this story before may have noticed the first few chapters are pretty much the same minus some minor grammar changes and such forth. What I intend to do with this story is take it where I had originally planned to go without falling into my old habit of randomly destroying my carefully thought out plan with some crazy disaster or some sort...to those who loved the crazy side tracking all my stories begin to disappear upon I am very sorry.

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><p><strong>Into the Den<strong>

Sakura slid to a halt outside of the gates leading into the Inuzaka's compound. Her breath short and her left eye twitching in annoyance at having to wait on age-old protocols. Surely they had received her hawk by now! Still it seemed the clan's elders were reluctant to allow her access to their private libraries. She never would have made such a bold request if it wasn't of the top most priority.

It had been only a few days since Kiba was first admitted into the hospital. His condition had only degraded further since then. Already both his mother and sister had checked in on him, but both remained tight-lipped about everything. Either no one truly knew what was going on or they were hiding something.

Both of those possibilities frustrated the woman to no end. It had come to the point that Kiba was kept confined away from others within the hospitals section normally reserved for injured enemies or criminals. Having to restrain him to the bed, hearing his howls of anguish through the night, and not being able to help was killing her inside. Sakura had become a medical ninja to ensure the wellbeing of her fellow shinobi and to never allow the thought of her being useless to cross her mind again.

Now though, unable to solve the mystery of Kiba's slip into madness, she had never expected to feel so helpless again.

"Miss Haruno?"

An elderly woman stood before her, shrouded in the doorway built on the compound walls exterior. Her lined face had a hardness to it but she lacked the clan markings of those born into the Inuzaka clan. Steely grey eyes examined her thoroughly before the woman seemed to grumble something beneath her breath as she turned on her cane and shuffled back into the confines of the walls.

_"Yes, I am Chief Medical Officer Haruno Sakura. It is an honor that you allow me within your walls and I swear upon the oath I gave our Lady Hokage that whatever knowledge I carry out of here shall remain with me and no other in this world until the day I take my last breath and beyond..."_

Sakura's words died on her lips as the woman ambled away. The door was slowly makings it way closed upon her and with a sharp reprimand from the elderly woman she sidestepped in at the last moment. Finally she would get her answers.

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><p>The sun had sunk below the walls already and cast the compound into an early darkness. Sakura wasn't here for sight-seeing though, and was too busy attempting to keep up with the older woman as she zig zagged around the buildings and took them down strange alley ways with a speed that did not match her apparent age. In fact Sakura had begun to suspect this woman was attempting to lose her.<p>

As quickly as their game of cat and mouse seemed to begin it came to an abrupt end. One where Sakura found herself within the heart of the Inuzaka's compound and surrounded by packs of ninken. Some growled challenging her, while others merely sniffed at her, and a few even whined in all the ensuing confusion. She had ever seen so many dogs in all of her life.

"Okay that's enough!" Tsume's commanding voice could be heard from across the clearing of sorts.

At Tsume's side sat Kuromaru, and he leaned forward growling slightly so that even Sakura could feel the authority bursting from the pair. All the other canines quickly dispersed or joined their respective partners situated around the large central clearing. No longer surrounded, she was finally able to get a clear view of where she was. Above the moon had risen and seemed to hang directly above their heads. It's bright glow bathing the wide open area with its silvery light.

"Welcome to our home, Sakura." Kuromaru rumbled out as he stretched out to lay his large head upon his paws at his partner's feet.


	7. Pack Meeting

**Pack Meeting**

Her eyes stayed locked upon the door before her. The wood grain as familiar to her as the back of her own hand. She needed that familiarity to calm herself as she fought back the inner side of herself. On the other side of that door she could hear raised voices. One in particular made her want to raise her fist in frustration and smack the baka.

"….but Grandma Tsunade!..."

Not able to take much more of this waiting, Sakura began to pace the corridor about the Hokage's door. She knew that her intrusion would not be taken offense to but something in her gut told her this was not the usual argument between the two. In fact since she was still working as one of the Hokage's attendants, she knew for a fact Naruto had not been on any particular missions as of late. These days it seemed the Hero of Konoha was given free rein to go and please and he chose. Much like Jariaya did before him.

She was making her pass by the door once more when the door was suddenly flung open and she came to an abrupt stop. Her breath halted and she waited to hear her name fall from his lips. It had been so long since they had last seen another. Try as much as she could, Sakura could not make herself turn to look up and meet his eyes.

"NARU….Sakura!" Tsunade seemed shocked to see her standing there.

Before her was a cloud of smoke where Naruto's clone had poofed out of existence. He had not even acknowledged her. _I guess we still aren't on speaking terms…. _Sakura sighed heavily and tried to hide the pain in her eyes as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"Tsunade, sorry I didn't send a message beforehand, I knew your schedule was clear and I believe I have finally found what we were looking for. I am almost certain now about what is happening." She began talking and found herself focusing less upon the surprise of finding Naruto in the village and back upon the reason for her coming to the tower.

Relief seemed to flood over Tsunade's features and she waved for Sakura to come over and give a report as she sat back down behind her large desk once more.

"I knew it wouldn't take you long to make your way through their libraries. So tell me all that's happened since you came to me with this request."

Sakura stood with her arms wrapped around a stack of files and her back straight. Her eyes seeming to take in the view of Konoha from the windows all along the outer wall of the office. She was not sightseeing though or distracted in the least. Instead she was allowing her mind to go blank and remember the events that had led her up till this moment. As she began to speak she went back to that night she was granted the access to the information she needed for Kiba's recovery.

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><p>All around her were the glowing eyes of canine and their human counterparts. She could hear the hushed conversations as the members of the clan all tried to formulate their own theories on why an outsider was present during the Pack Meeting. Before her, Tsume was waving her closer to the daïs where she and the other members of the Clan's Elder Council waited.<p>

She didn't pause as she approached the raised platform and dropped to a knee before them out of respect. With a bow of her head she raised her head back up to lock eyes with each one of them. From what Tsunade had told her, she knew she had to show them that she was strong and confident in her own abilities to gain any trust from them. The Inuzakas were a naturally territorial group but respected outsiders who showed strength and capability.

The murmur of the crowd seemed to have increased as she went from each Head of House situated around Tsume. When she finally reached Tsume the crowd went dead silent. All of the others had participated in the allotted time set down by tradition but Tsume herself was not restricted by such formalities and was not known to care for them much anyways. She was a very impatient woman and waiting this long had already worn on her nerves.

"Okay, We all know that Haruno Sakura is a strong Kounichi from Village Konoha and a favorite of our Hokage so can we skip on to the matters at hand now?" she snapped out as she rattled on and hit on some of the traditional points in her rant.

Around her some of the older council members were shaking their heads and seemed disappointed while the younger "Elders" had smirks upon their faces or rolled their eyes as they fought back chuckles. They all nodded in agreement though when she turned to seek their approvals.

"You honor me with this rare privilege of granting an audience within your walls." She rose from where she kneeled and stood at attention before them. Her eyes now respectfully lowered and her hands linked behind her back. "I come this night to ask something out of only the greatest need. You may all be aware by now that Inuzaka Kiba wasdiagnosed with an unknown condition. My self and all the Konoha Medical staff have given this case our all on the request of the Lady Hokage herself. He is one of our top Shinobi's and a comrade of mine. Unfortunately the cause, effects, and any possible cure have evaded us. With the available files on hand at the Hokage's office I have made a small headway, but the vital information I seek is here within your own walls."

Tsume seemed to consider her and around her the elders all seemed to jump up at once. They halted though when the imposing woman held up a hand and stepped forward to speak.

"If I am correct, then what you ask of my Clan is access to our own libraries, to gain knowledge of all our families' secrets, jutsus, inner medical files, and histories. You do realize that no one other than the Head of Houses in our Clan have ever viewed these records?"

Sakura could feel the tension and unease that had fallen over the gathered men and women. In the outlying crowd she had heard the outraged cries as word spread of her outlandish request. She was a clan less ninja who, if rumors were believed, recently made public her aspirations of establishing the Haruno family name in Konoha's histories. To come into their home and demand such a thing was unforgivable and obviously her way of attempting to steal their secrets. Most of the people here had only heard of her name, and believed her nothing more than a glorified assistant to the Legendary Sannin and Hokage. To them she was just using that to raise herself in the Ninja world.

"Silence!" Kuromaru barked out and stepped down from the daïs. He made his way over to young woman standing stolidly before him and he had to admire how she kept all the emotion off her face as all this had went on. He knew inside she felt differently, but he could sense no ill will from this woman. She only kept her emotions hidden because she knew that showing any weakness in front of them would hurt her cause in the end. "Girl, I am sure you know that I can sense if you are lying, so tell me the true reason you dare ask to learn of our Clan's secrets."

Sakura shifted her large emerald orbs to the nin dogs one-eyed stare. One of her hands she held out palm down to his inspection. His nose was level with her wrist as she held her arm straight out from her body. Around them she could practicaly feel the silence as everyone awaited her response.

"I swear upon my oath I have given the Lady Hokage already that I shall never take this knowledge you grant me beyond these walls. I am here for Kiba's sake. That is all and I will do anything to gain your trust in this way. Any oath I will swear, any seals or pacts I am willing to make. Allow me access and I can find the answers I need." Her voice carried across the clearing strong and true.


	8. Oath in Blood

**Oath in Blood**

"So I take it they granted you access then?" Tsunade queried as she eyed the files clutched in her apprentice's arms.

"Not at first actually." Sakura admitted with a weak smile. "I, well perhaps I should just continue with my report, you will want all the details anyhow."

The Hokage had always admired Sakura's ability to relieve through her memories with such clarity. It was one of her strengths and was pivotal in her growth and development into the woman she was today. No one gave a better report and if one was unlucky enough to fall into a genjutsu performed by the Kounichi then few could ever realize it until it was far too late.

"Yes, yes. Please continue then." She agreed and awaited on Sakura to recollect her thoughts once more and begin.

* * *

><p>They <em>had<em> to grant her access. That was the only thought swimming through her head as she stood there. Perhaps Kuromaru himself could grant that access to her. She didn't know hardly a thing about the Inuzakas but it seemed the canines were equals for the most part with their owners. All the while she was fighting to keep her emotions tucked away within her.

"Miss Haruno I am sure that the Hokage knows that Shinobi Kiba has renounced any claim to his Clan." Tsume spoke out and finally broke the tense silence.

Sakura was at a loss of words. Everything she felt at that moment, all she wanted to say would be improper and perhaps have her thrown from their grounds before she could even blink. Kuromaru who was still positioned beside her could feel her emotions roil and shared a long look with the Clan's Head.

Tsume's eyes narrowed and she continued on. "I am sure that your oath to the Hokage is strong and would not be broken, but I have no reason to extend such a thing to you. I must protect my Clan at all costs."

She could no longer hold her tongue. This was so wrong, how could his own mother denounce him in such a way. She had even referred to him without claiming him as one of their own. It was the last straw for the Pink Haired Kounichi.

"He is _your_ son!" She exclaimed outraged.

The shock of her words seemed to affect all those present. Her words were so full of the emotions she had previously held back. To the sensitive Inuzakas' it was like being slapped across the face or having gasoline suddenly drenching them. There were low growls from the outlying crowd and as her blazing emerald eyes locked upon Tsume's narrowed ones it was as if she had lit a match among them.

"How dare you…" Tsume growled and stepped forward.

In a split second the imposing woman was snarling down in her face and the only thing separating them was Kuromaru. His back pressed up against Sakura's front and he growled low to gain the other woman's attention.

"Tsume! This girl speaks the truth. Do not kill her over something so trivial." His voice was so low that Sakura had to strain to hear him at all. It seemed this was a private discussion between the two and even during all the chaos she found herself wondering just how good the hearing of the Inuzakas was and if the others could hear them or not.

"Your right." The woman growled out obviously annoyed and turned those sharp eyes back upon the cause of her irritance.

Sakura stood there with her hands still held up in a defensive stance. She had been ready to use her chakra at any moment and forced herself to hold her ground beneath the woman's murderous glare.

"You know the state Kiba is in. Tsume I only ask your permission to help your son! So please allow me to do my job." Sakura pleaded.

She no longer held back her emotions and cared not if it seemed she was begging now. It pained her so to see a comrade in such a state. This pain and regret over not being capable enough flowed through her and she hoped stabbed into the woman before her. When Sakura kept her gaze locked with Tsume's for so long, she sore she saw a ghost of a smile fall upon the other woman's lips.

"I say let the girl view our records, she has given her word to regard our secrets in the highest manner. One day I see this girl becoming a strong woman and leader within our village, having her indebted to us could be to our own benefit." Kuromaru stated as he walked before the daïs and seemed to address each Head of House.

After he had determined Tsume was not going to kill Sakura he had moved to stand beside his partner. As he spoke with the Elders Tsume broke her battle of the wills with the girl and joined the massive dog as he retook his place upon the daïs.

"This is out…"

"He has a point, we need…"

"This never would have happened under…"

"_That _boy has caused enough…"

"Silence everyone!"

The words of the nin dog rang in Sakura's ears. He thought so highly of her and yet the meaning behind them disturbed her slightly. She knew that in coming here she would have to abide by their rules, but what could they possibly hope to gain from having her indebted to them? No, she had to do this or anything else they asked to make sure she didn't loose another old school mate. Too many people from her past had suffered and if she could do just this one thing right, then perhaps she could live with herself.

"I must agree with him on this point, though I believe we should take further measures as well." All it took was Tsume's voice to quiet the elders bickering. "Shall we convene in private and decide upon the proper course?"

Shortly after the Clan's council had left with Tsume did Sakura find herself being guided to one of the large residences within the walls, in fact it appeared it was the Main House.

Upon entering she was immediately ushered off down the halls to a room on the far side that in appearance was an office of sorts. Standing in that room was Tsume and all six of the Elders along with their canine companions who sat at attention by their sides.

"Ah, finally they got you here. We have decided that in order for you to gain access a Blood Oath is necessary. We need not perform the ritual on the grounds so my office shall suffice. Is this acceptable to you?" Tsume began as soon as Sakura had entered into the room.

* * *

><p>Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table and interrupted Sakura's recount of the recent events. She stood and walked over to yank one of the young woman's hands free from their clutch upon the stack of files. The said files went spilling to ground and burst open but she just ignored those and bore her eyes on the mark upon her student's palm.<p>

An angry red slash stretched across the underside of her hand. It would have been inappropriate to heal it with chakra and so she had merely used simple antibiotics upon it.

"What did they make you swear?" the Lady Hokage demanded all the while gingerly holding Sakura's hand within her own.


	9. An Old Friend

From here on out the story diverges from what I had originally posted many moons ago. I am now going to slowly work my way through the story and back on its original course. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this version even more!

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><p><strong>An Old Friend<strong>

Sunlight filtered in between the sheer curtains billowing in the gentle early morning breeze. Through the open window the sound of birds slowly roused Sakura from her troubled sleep. The first thing her groggy eyes registered was her left hand thrown up on the pillow by her face. A thick white bandage binding the deep gash that now ran the length of her palm from the base of her thumb and up to the start of her last finger.

As her eyes adjusted to the soft lighting she found the taste of bile was still strong in her mouth. Her throat burned and tears built-in her eyes as the soreness in her body refused to dissipate along with the memories of her dark dreams. Whatever it was she had dreamed had felt so real, yet even now as she fought to remember what it was that had affected her so much outside of her mind, it evaded her every attempt of recollection. She knew without a doubt that the piles of books and scrolls scattered about her room were at the root of this. And these were only the ones she was allowed to take from their archives, the ones she hadn't been allowed to take with her undoubtedly would hold even more grave knowledge.

The history and past of the Inuzakas was a dark and very troubling one. With her growing understanding of them she could see why they were so secretive and what drove some of their motives. Base instinctual themes were ever-present and their hierarchy was a mix of human and canine alike. The fact that their nin dogs were not merely pets or tools for that matter was well-known since any Inuzaka would make that clear real fast, but what was hidden was exactly how deep the ties of Human and nin dog ran.

"Sakura!" A very familiar and yet sorely missed voice called from her doorway.

She could hear hesitant footsteps as he approached her bedroom door. Long ago she had told her team that her home was always open to them and that as long as they respected her privacy all would be good. Try as she might, she couldn't keep the smile from creeping upon her lips as she recalled the first time the man had let himself into her home in hopes of finding her.

"Sai, it's alright. Come on in." She called out to the man she knew was fretting outside her closed bedroom door.

Who could blame him though. The last time he had come to her home and found the door closed he had just barged on in and found a very interesting sight indeed. Too bad he couldn't walk for the next week. The poor guy just hadn't understood what he had done wrong until it was too late.

"ah, Sakura-chan, I'm glad I found you here." He stated sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head and fighting the blush that began to tint his pale skin.

Sai himself could not help but remember that time as well. It had been the most painfully wonderful day of his life. He was just glad the two of them were able to move on in their friendship afterwards. Sakura was very dear to him and he would never forget all she had done for him. It was because of her that he had learned what it meant to live. One would even say that despite the fact that Sakura had made it very clear she only thought of him as a brother, Sai was deeply infatuated with the woman.

"Did Tsunade-sama send you?" She asked as she subtly worked to try to stretch the soreness from her body. A large yawn escaping her as she noted just how early it actually was. "Of course she did, I'm fine Sai. You don't have to waste your morning keeping an eye on me."

Sai just smiled that fake smile of his and Sakura found herself growing irritated. She knew he only used that to deflect questions or to seriously piss her off it seemed. The man must enjoy pain because she was always having to patch him up after he riled her up.

"Kami, just get out so I can get dressed then!" Sakura huffed out.

Grumbling she stumbled from bed and pushed the smirking man from her bedroom. He knew he had pushed her buttons and enjoyed watching her get frustrated. She also knew that even if she couldn't see him, Sai would be tailing her all day. It was just easier to enjoy the company and deal with the fact that she couldn't win against the Hokage's will.


	10. Clarity

Sorry this one is so short! I just didn't want to make you all wait while I took a few more days to write the next section. Hope you enjoy :)

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><p><strong>Clarity<strong>

Sai did not breach the topic until later that morning. He was silent as Sakura sealed her house and placed extra security around her study, while they strolled through the market and grabbed breakfast, or even as they went about their own respective morning workouts. Though when he did finally speak he went straight to the point. It really was something she both hated and loved about the aloof man.

"Sakura you know that there might be nothing you can do for Kiba. It may simply be an illness of the mind so why are you going so far..." Sai's words were not what she wanted to hear at that time.

"I don't know! Okay, Sai...I refuse to accept that his problem is beyond my capabilities. Kiba doesn't deserve this and I...I..." Her own words suddenly cut off by the overwhelming surge of emotions that struck her unexpectedly.

Before she could even react Sai had pulled her into a rough embrace. His strong hands holding her firmly against him as she began to breakdown. The stress of the last week finally taking its toll upon her and leaving her too weak to protest.

Once more Sai had fallen into his deep silences that characterized him so well. He knew Sakura didn't need to hear his opinion or to talk it out. She was fully capable of dealing with this all in her own mind. All Sai wanted was to comfort her and not be a burden by intruding upon her own thoughts. This small act was about all he could offer to her.

If there truly was a solution she would find it.

Almost an hour later Sakura let out a deep sigh and slowly pulled out of his embrace. She now felt no resentment towards Tsunade for sending him. She could only be grateful she still had such a good friend to lean on. Lately it seemed that her old life was simply fading into a thing of the past.

Somehow during that time their hands had come together and Sakura found herself staring intently down at the large pale fingers that intertwined with her own. These days so many of her old comrades had drifted away or settled down. She had stayed so busy that it had never even registered in her own mind what would happen after wards. So now she sat there being comforted by a man she had not seen in many months, a man who might her last true friend only because he too could not maintain any normal healthy relationships himself.

Sakura wanted nothing more than to love him at that moment. He knew her so well, maybe even more than she did herself. With all the uncertainties surrounding her it seemed the most logical thing. She found her mind racing to the not so distance future and truly felt that if he was by her side she could prevail.

But that was all cut short by the stabbing pain shooting through her palm as Sai gave her hand a small squeeze. The hand that she had sworn a blood oath with. An oath she could not so easily avoid. With a new clarity of mind brought upon by the subsiding pain Sakura was able to push aside all the crazy desperate thoughts Sai had conjured and she finally had a breakthrough on Kiba's case.


End file.
